Tze-Lan Deborah Sang

“Taiwan’s Women Documentary Filmmakers” examines Taiwanese women documentarists, whose artistically diverse nonfiction films have engaged with significant cultural and social issues, often succeeding in shaping public perception and provoking public debate. In the bourgeoning field of Chinese-language film studies, fiction film has always occupied the center. However, the past decade has witnessed a proliferation of research on independent documentaries. Nevertheless, there has been a shortage of scholarship on Taiwanese women documentarians. This book-length study fills this gap. A diverse group of public intellectuals, Taiwanese female documentarians have used their films to reinterpret history, represent marginalized groups and interests, critique global capitalism, and engage with transforming gender and sexual identities. Their accomplishments evince that female voices have been crucial to the liberalization of Taiwan, a non-Western democracy.